Parker took the postgame podium wearing a shirt embroidered with small skulls, which seemed a fitting metaphor for his matchup with Lillard. In doing so, he followed up his 32-point effort on Sunday with 33 on Tuesday, his first set of back-to-back 30-point games in the playoffs since 2008 and only the second in his postseason career. Parker chipped in with nine assists as the Spurs continued the offensive flow that was lacking for so much of the first round.

Defensively, the Spurs may have played their best game of the year. Game 7 of Dallas was something special, and this continuation of that performance surpassed it. The Spurs once again defended with the energy of five Patty Mills. The Blazers had trouble generating open looks all night. The Spurs on and off ball pressure was intense and allowed them to come up with 12 steals, forcing the Blazers into committing 20 total turnovers.

Belinelli’s first shot that he got to fall was a transition 3-pointer Tuesday. From that point on, he would go on to finish the night shooting 7-of-9 from the floor for 19 points, including going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc in 27:48 minutes. On a night when Manu Ginobili finished without making a field goal (0-of-6) and only scoring two points, it was Belinelli and Aron Baynes who provided the scoring support off the bench.

While that production was gravy on a night the Spurs devoured Portland in large bites, they were encouraged to see Belinelli return to form after scoring just 22 points in the first round. He nearly matched that on Tuesday with 19, the result of good shooting (7 for 9, including 3 of 5 on 3s) and special attention from his point guard.

“I think the best news is Marco Belinelli to be back,” Tony Parker said. “I made a conscious effort to find Marco. I talked with Pop, and we wanted Marco to be back in the series, back in the playoffs. I was trying to call his number and look for him. I think half my assists were to Marco tonight.”